Heart of Gold

Chapter Four - Understanding

The first thing Kilnor noted as he reentered the cell was that Sunny was still unconscious, curled up in the position he had left her in. So focused was he on moving to her, he almost didn't register the slamming of the hatch as the Olcens left. It didn't matter anyway. At this moment, only Sunny did.

She was cool to the touch. Her body temperature was usually cooler than his, but as Kilnor held the back of his hand to Sunny's forehead, it seemed that she was even cooler than she should have been. With an angry rumble, Kilnor attributed that to the fact that she had been unceremoniously soaked in water. Moving carefully, he pulled her into his arms, willing her to absorb some of his heat. He was careful about where he touched her, recognising the large spots of purple, blue and red all over her body as bruises. Miotal's didn't bruise - but they had trade agreements with planets whose inhabitants did - and Kilnor knew that applying pressure to the coloured spots would further pain the small female.

Instead, he focused on stroking her hair. As a leanh, he had always found the motion of his mother playing and smoothing his hair soothing, and he hoped Sunny would find it comforting. He let out a soft purr. It was not right for a little creature such as Sunny to be injured so brutally. He wondered what exactly it was that had happened when he lost consciousness, and berated himself for failing her. It did not matter to him that he had been weaponless and outnumbered, he should have found someway to protect her.

He wondered where his brothers-in-arms were. It had been weeks since he had first been taken, at that ill-fated ambush. He had not expected his rescue to take this long, and a rescue was even more necessary now that he had Sunny to protect.

He cuddled her close.
"They will come, little rianhar," he murmured through his purr. "They will come."

Kilnor rocked her for what seemed like hours, her breathing slow and even, with no sign of her waking. It seemed a long time for her to be unconscious, and to distract himself from his growing worry, Kilnor spoke, telling her of his world and his home, of the natural beauty of his planet.

"The mountains are large," he said. "And in the cold times, they are buried in snow, becoming smooth mounds of white, with small pockets of trees found in the valleys. It is in one of those valleys that I make my home. You will like it, I..."

He trailed off. In the last moments, he had been sure he saw her eye-lashes flutter.

"Sunny?" he said. He stroked her face, avoiding the side that was swollen and puffy from where an Olcen had struck her. "Sunny, are you well?"

A soft moan met his words. She had heard him. Kilnor almost felt like dancing in relief.

"Hurts..." the word was mostly unintelligible, but Kilnor understood it. His supposition had been correct, then. He and sunny would be able to communicate. He was glad for it, but saddened that the case had been the brutal beating Sunny had received.

"I know, rianhar," he soothed, cuddling her closer. "I know."